A laboratory result from a non-resident was accidentally faxed to the care area. What should the nurse do with this information?

• A. Destroy it with a paper shredder
• B. File in the reusable paper file
• C. Place it in a biohazard trash
• D. Throw it in the trash

Answer: (A)

Protecting patient privacy and handling protected health information properly is the key idea. When a lab result for someone who isn’t in your care ends up in your area, it’s a potential privacy breach. The safest, most definitive action is to destroy the document securely so the information cannot be read by anyone else. Using a paper shredder permanently destroys PHI and aligns with privacy rules and facility policies about secure disposal. If possible, you’d also follow policy to notify the appropriate person or return it to the sender, but the essential step is preventing unauthorized access. Other options—filing it in a reusable paper file, placing it in biohazard trash, or throwing it in the regular trash—would unnecessarily expose confidential information.